A Step by Step Process for Managing the Administrative Side of a Website Build

Building a website for a client can be an exciting task once you see everything come into fruition and the client is delighted with the results. But as well as managing the design process, there is a large administrative side to a website build that must be followed through to ensure that you and your client are both on the same page, and that everything runs smoothly.

Clear and transparent communication is absolutely key through the process of building a website. By using the project management tool Asana, you can communicate with your client and assign them tasks that need to be completed so that you can stick to projected deadlines. Using Asana means that you don’t need to go looking for emails or chase up who is doing what, as all tasks are clearly laid out for everyone to see.

So that your next website builds run smoothly, you can follow the process outlined below. It details everything from the sales handover and accounting, right through to managing the build and customisation stages.

Website Build Overall Process

Sales Team

When a new client is ready to start a website build, the Sales Team should “handover” the lead’s billing details to the Accounts Team for invoicing. The Sales Team CC in both the client and the Accounts Team in this email.

Accounts Team

1. Taking the information from the “handover” email, the Accounts Team will prepare the initial deposit invoice for the client.

2. Once the invoice has been created, the Accounts Team will “reply all” to the sales person’s email (to ensure the client is included) – and paste in the project’s questionnaire link and further information.

3. The Accounts Team will then set up the Client Workspace in our Project Management Platform (we use Asana) by duplicating our workspace template – this includes the client’s business name, contact name, URL, and account notes, as appropriate.

4. Once that’s done, the Master Website Build Task Template gets duplicated and dragged it to the Client’s Workspace you set up in #3 above.

5. Once the payment is received and questionnaire completed, the Accounts Team will set up a Dropbox Client Folder Template in the appropriate section for additional information and files that won’t be stored in the Project Management Platform – such as the PDF of the client’s completed questionnaire.

6. The Accounts Team will now assign the Website Build Task to the Operations Team Project Manager and make a comment letting them know the project is ready to begin.

Operations Team – Project Manager

1. The Project Manager will now review the client’s questionnaire and any further information then assign out the first of many sub-tasks from the Website Build Task thread.

2. The Project Manager will then get the Client Support Team to email the client – either clarification questions or an official “Start Date” – using the Questions or Info + Start Date Email Template.

3. The Project Manager then adds a “Target Completion Date” for themselves to oversee the project.

Operations Team

1. The Operations Team will now execute the following tasks, in accordance with the systems provided and due dates given.

a. Theme Research

b. Create Staging Site & Initial Customisation

c. Round 1 Client Feedback – this is assigned once the client provides their first round of feedback from the initial customisation.

d. Round 2 Review Minor Review – this is assigned once the client provides their second round of feedback after Round 1 feedback has been implemented.

e. Round 3 Review Finishing Touches – this is assigned once the client provides their last round of feedback after Round 2 feedback has been implemented.

f. Quality Check

2. Once all feedback rounds are completed by the team, the Operations Team alert the Project Manager that the site is ready to go live.

Operations Team – Project Manager

At this point, the Project Manager will get the Client Support Team to email the client with the “Staging Site – Ready to Go Live” Email Template and CC in the Accounts Team.

Accounts Team

1. Once CC’d into the email that a staging site is ready to go live,the Accounts Team will invoice the 50% Balance invoice.

2. Once the balance invoice is paid, the Accounts Team will alert the Project Manager so they can proceed.

Operations Team – Project Manager

The Project Manager now assigns the series of sub-tasks in the “Site Goes Live section of the Website Build Task template.

Operations Team

1. The Operations Team will now execute the following tasks, in accordance with the systems provided and due dates given.

2. Once the staging site is live and working, the Operations Team alert the Project Manager to perform a QA Review.

Operations Team – Project Manager

1. The Project Manager will now assign out the Site Quality Control Review task to either themselves or a relevant team member to run “Quality Assurance” review over the new live site.

i. Any QA issues will be fed back to the web team, if necessary, by simply re-assigning the Site Quality Control Review task to the appropriate team member.

2. Once QA is done, the Project Manager will get the Client Support team to email the client with all their relevant new login details, and further information, as necessary.

3. The Project Manager will also assign the Onpage SEO task to the SEO Manager to execute, as per their systems.

Operations Team – SEO Manager

1. The SEO Manager will assign out and supervise all the relevant onpage SEO work for this last component of the site build.

2. Once all the Onpage SEO work is done, the SEO Manager will use the pre-made Offboarding subtask and assign to the Client Support team to advise the client that the project is now finished.

3. At the same time, the SEO Manager will then assign the pre-madeSales Follow-up subtask in the client comms thread and assign it to the appropriate Sales Team Member.

Operations Team – Project Manager

Once all work is totally completed, the Project Manager can archive the project in Asana.

Sales Team

Once assigned a Follow-up task to touch base with the client 1-week after offboarding, then set up the lead in your lead software (we use Nutshell) and follow your normal sales process.

The process outlined above may seem complicated at first, but working through it step by step will ensure that you can manage all of the administrative side of your website build with ease. It’s important to remember that this process can sometimes move quickly if your client is fast with their responses and feedback, or it could move slowly if they take their time getting back to you. Since all tasks are set up in Asana, you’ll know exactly what stage you are at and what needs to be done, even if there is a pause on the project.

Once you get the hang of this process, it will become second nature and help you to manage your website builds more efficiently and effectively in the future.

System Architect – Melissa Crowhurst

Melissa Crowhurst is the Chief Executive Officer of MelbourneSEOServices. She has over 20-years of entrepreneurial experience stretching across a variety of industries including publishing, banking, real estate, wholesale, retail developments and more. This practical understanding of the ‘real world’ has bolstered her formal education, turning her creative genius into effective tools – such as copywriting, business automation, systems documentation and more – that help business owners improve their overall situation immediately.